Knight of Fire: Redux
by Fire Eyes
Summary: Second generation FFVIII, centered on Squall and Rinoa's son. Note that this is a complete revamp of my original "Knight of Fire" story. It's about the same characters, but the plot line and the writing quality have been vastly improved. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

Jade had no memory of her life before she was six years old. Told only that she'd been given a special gift after the death of her parents, she was brought under the care of a woman named Adriane Alanis, whose surname was given to her after the adoption papers were finalized. For three years, she led a relatively normal life – she went to school, helped around at home, and had a handful of friends. However, her adoptive mother, though generous and kind, always felt distant. She never gave Jade the gentle kisses, the loving hugs, the delicate care the girl would see from the parents of her friends.

Then, without warning, they moved to a remote settlement nestled in the Almaj Mountains, a range of peaks along the southern edge of what used to be the Centra civilization's region. There, a small group of people, almost entirely women, had made their home. A handful of children were present as well, though they were all a few years younger than Jade. None of them wanted to hang out with her, and the adults weren't friendly, either. Jade was decidedly homesick by sunrise the next morning. Yet, her mother said nothing. She spent all her time with the other women, talking, whispering, and talking some more. Jade didn't understand what was being said – she hardly could make out the words most of the time – but Adriane spoke the most, by far. She also didn't like it when the little girl hung around for too long.

Finally, a few days after their arrival, Adriane sat the child down and explained what was happening.

"You must be wondering why we are here, child."

Despite her age, Jade knew her mother was stating the obvious. "Yes! Why? I want to know!" She suddenly snapped her mouth shut, afraid she would be in trouble for being so demanding.

Surprisingly, Adriane wasn't upset. In fact, she made no note of Jade's outburst. "We are special, and the world hates our kind of special."

"Does this have to do with the present you told me I got?"

"Yes, child. You were granted powers by a dying sorceress, just as I was."

Jade yelped in surprise. "I don't want to be a sorceress! They're bad people!"

Her mother shook her head. "No, they're not – we're meant to think they are. People who don't have power are afraid of people who do have power. We have power, and they do not, and their fear turns into anger, anger against us. That is why we have come here, together."

Jade didn't really understand it, and she still was afraid of who she was, or who her mother told her she was. "Why did I get it?"

"We can't choose whether or not we accept these powers, child – we simply must learn how to use them, control them, and show the rest of the world why they're not bad."

"I can make my powers... not bad?" She had trouble absorbing this, though it gave her hope.

"Yes, and we will show you how. Here, where it's safe."

Safe. That was a word Jade liked. She missed her home, her friends, the playground a few blocks away from where they had lived. But she didn't want to be afraid of herself, and this was the first time her foster mother had spoken so kindly to her.

"Do I have to go to school?"

"Of course. It will be a different kind of school, because we will teach you what to do about your gift."

"Will it be fun?"

Adriane smiled, but Jade didn't like it very much. It gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sure it will be, child. I'm sure it will be."

And it was, in some ways. Under Adriane's guidance, Jade spent the next eight years sharpening her newfound abilities. In the process, she slowly forgot about her wishes for improving the relationship between sorceresses and the rest of humanity.


	2. SeeD Exam

Matt Leonhart wasn't nervous – well, not too nervous, at least. He was confident in his skills as a SeeD, and if skills were the only issue, he knew he'd pass without a problem. But he had a "legacy to uphold", as the faculty liked to put it, a fact which he disliked intensely. To make matters worse, Colene Elnara, his crush for more than two years, would be taking the test as well. Making a mistake in front of her would— well, he didn't want to think about it.

A back-breaking slam across his shoulders jolted Matt out of his gloomy thoughts. "After today, we're going to be full-fledged SeeDs!" Fox Danes exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. When Matt didn't instantly share in his enthusiasm, he parked his face only a few centimeters from his friend's, freaking him out. "I _hate_ it when you do that!" Matt snapped.

"Why the glum face, buddy?"

"Oh, nothing."

Fox was _not_ convinced. "That's a load of crap. What's up?"

"I guess I just don't share your feelings about the test, that's all."

"You're just as good as I am, if not better, Matt. You're crazy if you think you might fail."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Matt didn't reply.

"Ohhh, I get it. You're afraid of screwing up in front of Colene, aren't you?"

"Not so loud!" he hissed.

His friend's sharp response surprised Fox. "All right, all right," he replied, holding his hands up in defense. "Take it easy. Gotta remember to breathe, you know."

"I know." He paused. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You've eaten, right?"

"Sort of."

"That's a no if I've ever heard one. You need _something_ in your system. Come on, let's grab bagels on our way to the conference room."

Matt shrugged. Fox was right. "Have it your way." Without further hesitation he allowed himself to be led to the cafeteria, where he mechanically went through the motions of purchasing a snack before they headed off to the room where the headmistress would announce their testing assignments. Matt swallowed as they approached the doorway – perhaps he wasn't ready for this after all. Only a forceful push got him into the room at all.

"Nice to see you, Leonhart – we were beginning to think you weren't going to show up," Terran Goddard remarked insincerely, sparking smirks and muffled laughter from his group of friends.

Usually, Matt shrugged off such commentary from that particular crowd, but anticipation of today's events had rubbed his nerves raw. He swiftly turned to face them, and more than one member was visibly startled by the reaction. "You're really stooping to this level, huh? Just because you're jealous of my abilities doesn't mean you have to act so childishly. It's pathetic."

A small gasp echoed near the doorway. Everyone glanced that direction to see a shocked Colene standing there.

Blood drained from Matt's face. He desperately searched for something to say, but the words wouldn't come.

"Of all the talented people here, you were the last person I would have expected to brag like that. Matt Leonhart, I'm ashamed of you." She swiftly brushed past him, refusing to meet his gaze.

Utterly deflated, Matt quietly found a seat, Fox slipping into the vacant one next to his a moment later. Whispers could be heard around the room, and though they couldn't make out what was being said, neither of them doubted the subject matter.

Thankfully, the torment was soon interrupted by the headmistress's entrance. She didn't need to ask them for their attention; they automatically silenced themselves and turned to face him. A solid mark of discipline on their part – for authority, at least. Quistis Trepe hadn't missed the room's recent events, filing them away into a different corner of her mind for later meditation.

"It's good to see all of you have arrived on time. Or did I show up late?"

A faint chuckle echoed from the gathered students. Their headmistress was never late. The laughter eased a few tensions, though.

"Moving on to business. The arena for your SeeD exam has been decided. Some of you may have heard of the recent unrest occurring near the Desert Prison due to the capture of radical thinker Ciaran Altos. It has gotten out of hand, which led to the people of Winhill asking for our help."

Quistis paused at the sight of Matt's hand. "Yes, Cadet Leonhart?"

"Ma'am, may I ask why our help is being sought? Galbadia Garden is closer to that region than Balamb."

"Good question, cadet. Galbadian SeeDs are enforcing the region to the north, between Deling City and the prison. We are to safeguard the southern region and keep Winhill from experiencing any of the conflict."

Matt saluted in response and remained silent.

"You will be split up into pairs, with each pair supervising a particular region. Malet and Forest will watch over the peninsula to the west of the prison. Goddard and Elnara will take the southern bay's port. Carter and Whitney will secure the mouth of the river. Danes and Leonhart will guard the main bridge heading to Winhill. Locke and Kinneas will oversee the low pass to the southeast. Your transports will be ready in one hour. Any questions?"

Fox glanced uneasily at his partner, waiting for another question. But none came.

"Failure in properly protecting your area will result in failure of the exam. Good luck to you all. Dismissed."

Matt remained seated as the others stood and headed out to make last minute preparations. Fox lingered behind, wondering what the hell was going on inside that guy's head _now_.

"Problems, Leonhart?"

"No, sir." Matt didn't look up when he responded, however.

"I'm not convinced."

This time the cadet raised his head. "There's a lot of pressure, Headmistress. That's all."

"Breathe easy, Matt. While it's an important mission, and your SeeD exam, it's nothing like what I faced with your parents. The fate of the world doesn't rest on the outcome of this day."

"My fate might," he mumbled. Fox had to hide a grin.

Quistis smiled reassuringly, then left.

"Get it together, Matt, okay? My results will hinge on you, too."

"Right, Sorry. I'll be back to normal soon, really."

"Is the fact that Colene got paired with Goddard bothering you that much?"

"It does irk a bit, yeah."

"Well, come on. Let's beat the crap out of this exam, this mission, and show her that you're made up of much better stuff than that idiot over there."

"I wanted to explain, though, or at least apologize."

"There will be plenty of time for that after we've passed the test. Now let's _go_!"

Infected by his friend's enthusiasm, Matt had to smile a little.

Everyone assembled on time, and within three hours all had arrived at their assigned locations. From Balamb's original spot, the journey would have been much longer, but the Garden's movement capabilities had brought them to the Galbadian continent during the previous night. Of course, they didn't want to announce an additional SeeD presence, so small vehicles were used to bring the cadets the rest of the way.

Once their ride had left, Matt and Fox took a few minutes to survey their surroundings. Gently rolling plains bordered each side of the wide river, and the bridge they were to guard brought passengers over a twenty meter drop to the rushing waters below. It would be quite difficult to cross the river here without using the bridge.

It didn't take them long to realize they were in the middle of nowhere.

Matt parked himself just north of the bridge's center, and Fox took the opposite position. Neither of them felt like talking right away – they both felt like they'd gotten the short end of the stick in their task assignment. How the hell would this be a _test_ if nothing happened?

A boring, event-free hour passed. Fox began to wish he'd brought a deck of cards in his pack of supplies. Matt merely moped over his horrid luck. Then, just to the south, a handful of figures appeared.

Instantly the two students stood, wary of who might try to approach from the Winhill side of the river. "The people of that town should know better than to come this way right now," Fox said quietly.

Matt nodded. Fox's right hand hovered over his pistol; Matt's, the hilt of his gunblade. He was glad to have the weapon at his side right now – the ribbing of friends and other students over his choice of weapon felt far away at this point.

Within a few minutes a group of six men had arrived at the bridge. All were five to ten years older than the two cadets, yet Fox stepped forward and said as assertively as he could manage, "Please state your business here."

"We've come from Winhill to offer our support in your operation," one man replied.

Matt and Fox exchanged glances. "Our operation?" Matt responded.

"The town council informed us of their request for SeeD aid, but they didn't want Winhill to be unrepresented. Thus, we were sent."

The story was hard to believe, but SeeDs didn't have guidance every step of the way on their missions, so neither did a test for promotion to full SeeD. "Thank you for being honest, sir. If you'll excuse us, I'd like to discuss it with my partner for a moment," Matt finally stated.

The speaker nodded and motioned for his men to step back to give them room to talk.

"What do you think?" Matt whispered once they were out of earshot.

"I don't like it," Fox said flatly.

"Neither do I, but I'd hate to scorn genuine help if it was sent from the leaders of the town who sent for us."

Fox grimaced. "I hate complicated situations."

Matt sighed. "I think we should accept them for now, but ask them to help us keep an eye on this bridge. I don't want them passing through, just in case."

"I agree. But what if they've got... other intentions? I don't want to be in a three-on-one battle here."

"Yeah, we need a backup plan." The two whispered for a moment longer before turning to the newcomers. "We'd appreciate your help in watching the region around this bridge in order to prevent any of the disorder from spreading. If you don't mind taking the south end, we'll take the north. That way, if we run into something large, you can come help us." Matt said.

"Since we've been sent to protect Winhill in this situation, we'd like to be the point men," Fox added.

The men mulled it over briefly before they agreed. The group then settled down in a watchful state. However, the peak of the day was drawing near, and the temperature was rapidly rising. The nearest forests were kilometers away, along the mountains or the coastline, and no shade was available within their supervision area.

Matt felt extremely weary as he wiped his forehead for the umpteenth time and reached for his half-depleted canteen. Glancing over at Fox, he realized his partner looked about as bad as he felt. A look toward the other group made Matt realize they hadn't come prepared for a long period under the sun. He stood and walked to them. "You can have some of my water, if you'd like," he offered, holding out the canteen.

Two of them had painfully obvious expressions of relief pass over their faces. The leader took the canteen, then Matt's hand, ostensibly in thanks. But the grip was rather tight. "I think we should just take all the water – don't you agree, friends?"

The relieved facial expressions morphed into predatory grins. The leader roughly tossed Matt off to the side as he and two others approached Fox, leaving three for Matt.

Fox's right hand instantly went to his sidearm, his left reaching for something in his pocket. Meanwhile, separated from his own weapon, Matt was furiously loading up fire spells as punches launched toward him. More than a few landed, and painfully at that. However, it wasn't long before the cadet managed to throw Fira-level magic into the faces of two of his attackers. Both stepped back, screaming, blinded, and one fell backward over the side of the bridge. Even Matt was disturbed by the man's howls.

Fox had gotten a few shots off himself, scratching one shoulder and injuring another's hand. Unfortunately, that was all the damage he did before the pistol was knocked from his grasp. The leader then pulled a knife, tired of the unexpected fight the cadets had shown so far. However, the shrieks of those on the south end of the bridge stole his attention from Fox, bringing all five remaining men down on Matt. Before he could get another spell ready, they had tackled him to the ground, the leader's knife pressing into his cheek and another's forearm pushing down on his windpipe. "Damn you, kid. How'd a punk like you manage to take out one of _my_ men?" he demanded.

"What... you didn't... expect much... of a fight?" Matt retorted.

The knife cut in deeper, lancing fire across his skin. He could already feel blood trickling down. Matt winced, which sliced an extra centimeter along the blade's path.

Fox hesitated – he was ready, but with Matt surrounded by their enemies, he couldn't exactly unleash their plan right then.

"Just do it, Fox!" Matt yelled. "It'll be fine!"

Five heads turned toward the other cadet. Well, he didn't really have a choice now. Fox went ahead and unleashed his ice-based Guardian Force.

As planned, with the emergence of the GF Fox was whisked away to the strange there-but-not-there state that always came when using GFs. Luckily, Matt was transported there as well.

Unluckily for the five men, however, they remained where they were. Within seconds, all of them had faced ice magic ten times more powerful than the basic spell. Blinded by the blast, neither Matt nor Fox could see the result of their attack. As the GF vanished and the two cadets returned, they breathed a sigh of relief when they could make out a still-standing bridge.

As for the mercenaries, only three remained – the other two must have followed their teammate over the edge. All lay prone on the ground, either unconscious or dead. The two students quickly walked to them and checked pulses. The leader and one other had survived; the third hadn't made it. As a precaution, Fox cast Sleep on the pair still living.

Strength drained from Matt's limbs as he sank down to half-sit, half-lie on the bridge's metal beams. Fox wearily sat next to him. Unfortunately, their rest was short-lived, as a scratching noise suddenly began, sounding loudest near one of the sleeping survivors. After a little searching, Matt pulled out a small communications device.

"Something survived that attack?" Fox exclaimed.

"Well, you didn't use your thunder GF..."

"True."

Matt pressed down on the talk button, but nothing happened. Fox peered down at it, brow furrowed in thought. "Damn it!" he snapped out of the blue.

Matt glanced at him, startled. "What is it?"

"The only way you can get audio out of that thing is if you punch in the right code, which we don't have."

He paled. "They must have been reporting in periodically while they were sitting over there."

"And now they're not, and we can't pretend to be them."

Matt punched the railing in frustration. "They must have planned to jump us from the beginning – take out the guards on the quickest route to Winhill so their forces could get through."

"Why would they go through such an elaborate ruse?"

"Maybe they knew SeeD cadets would be here."

Fox swallowed, hard. "I don't like the implications of that."

"Neither do I."


End file.
